LGBTQ Pride — from the North Country to the Seacoast

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and events are scheduled across the state in June and beyond to celebrate and mark the occasion.

Portsmouth Pride, New Hampshire’s longest-running and largest Pride event, features a community parade that has become a Seacoast tradition. The parade will leave from Market Square after a welcoming from Portsmouth Mayor Deaglan McEachern on June 24 at noon, and will be followed by a celebration at Strawbery Banke featuring food trucks, music and family activities. June events on the Seacoast include the City of Portsmouth’s a flag-raising at City Hall on June 1 with the mayor and Congressman Chris Pappas, an art exhibition at a local gallery featuring artworks created by young people at Seacoast Outright, an LGBTQ+ history walking tour and a Pride garden party at the Sarah Orne Jewett House.

“Let’s not forget that originally, Pride was protest,” said Hershey Hirschkop, executive director of Seacoast Outright, which organizes the Pride events in Portsmouth. “I keep that in the forefront of my mind: Pride is protest.” As such, it is an important time to call attention to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that has been advanced around the country.

Pride is also a celebration. “It is also our national holiday, it is a day of visibility, it is a celebration of who we are in all ways,” Hirschkop said. “And our community is multi-faceted. We are not any one group of people. We are everywhere and we get to come together and be proud of who we are.”

Since the first Portsmouth Pride in 2015, additional Pride events and festivals have been established and gained momentum around the state.

A weeklong series of events in Manchester, including a flag-raising at City Hall, will be capped by a Pride Festival at Veterans’ Park on June 17.

Rural Pride gets underway in Claremont with a Pride flag-raising at Broad Street Park on June 19 at 5:30. Other events during the week include a bowling night and a picnic.

The Nashua Pride Festival on June 23 is organized by the City of Nashua as a “celebration of diversity, acceptance, music and fun focused on promoting equality and inclusion of all people.” The festival kicks off with a Main Street parade at 2 p.m.

The White Mountains Pride festival will be held in North Conway on June 24 and will feature food trucks, music and activities for families.

Capital City Pride has events scheduled in Concord during the month of July, including a community art installation, family picnic, coming-out storytelling event and more.

Hirschkop said that having Pride events in many communities makes an important statement of belonging — especially to young people.

“LGBTQ+ people live in every town in America,” Hirschkop said. “Nothing can be more important than to feel there are supportive adults and allies who will have your back no matter what. It has a huge impact on mental health. I would love it if every little town had a Pride event.”

The Charitable Foundation is a proud sponsor of these Pride month events. Check local listings for additional events around the state.